Salmon Lover

Title was my dinner tonight. Take-away bento box from Kaizen Sushi. YUMMY.



Every once in a while, I have this habit of just wandering around aimlessly. I'll go out, without a specific purpose in mind and just walk around randomly. I think its relaxing not having to worry about anything, go where you want to go, and end up where you'd never expect you'd end up!


Along the way, I meet interesting people too.


There was this old uncle sitting next to me on the train who shared a breathtaking sunset. The kind couple who recommended the Indian vegetarian restaurant. The checkout clerk at Woolies who happens to be a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend (phew! I am serious) & just this evening...


A really nice 'mate' who happened to share the same bus home with me and accompanied me to my door. As it goes, I got off tired and a little disgruntled from work- a day of shuttling around 3 floors does that to you- and decided to do a little wandering around the city center. After a while, my fickle feet finally led me to my bus stop and my little encounter.


We got off the bus at Boundary Road and he said Hello. Started talking and discovered he's my current neighbour two houses down. Turns out, he actually attended a Christmas function at my workplace! Which I passed through on the way to my own function! Coincidence indeed! Kind Ben made sure that I got home safe and sound before heading back to his place.


Parted ways with 'Merry Chirstmas and Happy New Year' & 'Enjoy your holiday back in Malaysia'


Ah! How much one can accomplish during a few minutes!


That aside, I am totally bushed from work. Nonstop since Thursday. I'm off to bed.


Here's to random meetings and delightful strangers!

Droppy Eyelids, Naked Eyebags

Just finished my take home exam! (Phew! lets out a big breath) Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get the mark that I HIGHLY anticipate! I really want to end my degree with a 'bang'! Anyway, after making three drafts for my three questions and countless check-lists, everything suddenly makes more sense list-wise:

1. Suddenly very nostalgic about home. I miss home! Tutor said something that really hit me today: all developing nations have a growing middle-class and with a growing middle-class comes very opinionated responses towards political and social problems. While freedom of speech and democracy is very much parroted, I can't help but think that regulation serves its purpose as well. Too many cooks can spoil the soup. What the politicians needs to do, however, is NOT deliberately ignore the rakyat's voice.
   
2. Making my nostalgia even worse are two short films from the P1 Malaysian Filmmakers Showcase. There is hope yet! Do not despair Yasmin Ahmad, RIP. The first one is harrowingly reflective of current times- especially about the growing middle class and their parroted opinions. The second one is just a reminder of deeper protectionist themes, gently stroking the surface of the lake that is...government aid.
3. Fish says 'Wonderful things happen when you least expect them'. Never really gave everyday happenings much thought. But I now believe there is some truth in those words. Enjoy the following accounts:

• Very tired after work one day, physically and mentally, as things kept piling up and I was stretched for time. Sitting on the train just anticipating a nice hot shower. Felt a nudge next to me. A kind old man decided he wanted to share a beautiful sunset with me. Could not help but smile.
• Rushing to catch the last bus after work. I just missed it by 2 minutes! Bus Driver told me to hop onboard anyway and after finishing his rounds, dropped me off at Kent Street. Had a really nice chat with him about Cosway and the benefits of Cosway products. Warned me to stay safe, taught me to use my hp to note down bus timetables. He totally made my day/night.
• Randomly decided to head down to the City for Friday Night Dinner. Waved to a guitarist on St.Georges Terrace. Spied Ponyo dancing around in our new ramen joint. Handsome stranger handed us a purple tulip each. Almost shared shopping tips with a girl. Smile. Smile. Smiled.
• Looking forward to certain days of the week, seriously, why'd you have to be so cute? Its really impossible to ignore you.

Heading off to bed, finally.

Wishing for a Canon Powershot E1.

Wanting that Sportsgirl Bag!!!

Anticipating NOVEMBER HOLS!

You Say, I Listen, We Repeat together

Since everyone is starved for updates... and all the cool kids on the blogsphere is doing this... I'm hopping on the bandwagon! Bring on the dots! ♪

• Haven't had a clue why my days are zooming past me...I yell stop, slow down! but they just ignore me. With only 3 weeks left till finals, I am feeling rather blue when I contemplate my future! What am I suppose to do?

• Found time to eat and bask in the sun last Friday! Perth weather is beginning to show hints of spring time sun! Before, it was just spring showers... and windy days. When you've felt nothing but chilly winds for the last two months...you WON'T say no to a sunny day! So after a quick meeting in Uni and throwing all our leftover food into a bag, me and my flat-mates headed down to King's Park!

• My phone charm, ShuDuan's Transperth card and her set of keys. This is what we do in our past time, plunk coins into Icey Ice vending machines and hope for cute dogs.
  

• MoonCake Festival was spent with His Excellency (hahahah, big titles!) K Rudd, pretty people turned drunk and a fizzle of excitement in the air! Workplace was hosting 7's telethon and K Rudd was a special guest at the ball. Whole team was buzzing with happiness and excitement that night...was K Rudd really that special? I walked past him, accidentally! while he was on his way to his VVIP table... he was really nice and said 'Good Job' to all of us before he left.
  

• Discovered a new fetish- chewing Han's Striker Salami Sticks when I have nothing better to do. Argh, Fi, I think I am onto my 4th stick...

• Another rare moment in the past week where I actually had time for a little video chat! Ever since my Skype decided it really doesn't like me, I haven't been able to 'talk' to anyone. MSN chats are rare and very short, so it doesn't really count. This was a pleasant surprise. Here's the best things after a really long day- laughing away at random silly things and showcasing the hidden inner drag queen.
  

• I really, really want to watch, in no order whatsoever: Ponyo, The September Issue, Fame, Coco Avant Chanel and (weirdly) The Cove.

• Fish has (errrmmm) 5 bruises... I think I have 3 small ones, 1 really big one and another of medium size. Paintball was hot, sweaty and VERY FUN! Co-workers thought I had a very strategically placed hickey/ wet strawberry/ what ever random weird name it is called nowadays. Agnes and Me had a very naughty night at work, coming up with even naughtier stories about my bruise until Kevin said "FYI, TMI!!!" I think he blushed at one point... muahahahha!
  

• Been having a weird craving for Korean food lately... have no idea why! But when I satisfied my craving the other day...an added bonus appeared in the Korean Hypermarket next to the restaurant: BABY BISCUITS! I absolutely love chewing on baby biscuits, especially those round ones we get back home called Rusks. Been searching for them since I came to Perth to no avail. Laughed so loudly when I found them- I think I jumped up and down in the store... would kinda explain why the cashier girl was looking at me weirdly. THANK YOU SMALL KOREAN HYPERMARKET.
  

• Cindy is finally back from the land of no internet. Hahhaha, JJ. Girlfriend went off for her annual geology field trip during the week-long hols...super happy to have her back...because it means I get food. Chocolate cake delivered itself on the next day of her return. I feel very loved... tho' I suppose, not as loved as Nelson... wink wink!
  

• Package from Gmarket finally arrived! All 14 items! The 5 dollar dress was a disappointment though- could not stand it so took my scissors to work! But I now have a weird looking striped tee. Everything else was really good- which says a lot because I am the 'touch-then-buy' kinda person. I used to marginalize online shopping, who knew that the Koreans would change that perception?

• Sigh. It's 11.21 p.m. This means my laundry is done and it needs to go into the dryer. I need to hire someone to do my laundry- I keep putting it off till the last minute! Can you sense my immense dislike for laundry? If I could, I would live right next to the laundromat and still get someone else to do it for me. Right... Let's not drag it till midnight.

Jen, here is your update.


Two assignments and a presentation next week.


Superheadz Digital Harinezumi is a dream come true.


Toodles all- AND WATCH GREY's SEASON 6. IT IS SO GOOD!

From Me, to all of You.

You know how people leave little memo's around sometimes? Be it a sweet note to a loved one or a post-it reminder or even just a doodle of a funny face...I have this bad habit of keeping a whole page full of post its in my diary that organizes my life. I blame this bad habit on Jocelyn really, she showed me her stick it page last semester when we were so bored in class one day... and the obsession began. Currently going onto half of my trusty lil' post-it pad & bringing my love of organization into the blog- here's some tidbits of my life, post-it fashion:




'Parents were in town the whole free week. Smiled one whole week too, so much so someone at work asked: Godammit, we've been working so hard the whole day, you can still smile? But after sharing the news, she started smilling as well. Had the best pancakes ever. Can't remember how much they cost- but all that fat in the sinful pot of cream was totally worth it'



'Easiest biscuit recipe: 2 cups flour, 1 cup castor sugar, 1/2 block butter, 1 tbspoon vanilla essence and ANY other flavouring of your choice. Popular among the Flat 6 peeps: nutella, philly cream cheese, choc chip and good ol' peanut butter'



'Hectic month really. We, meaning me and Fish, are delighted at the many shifts we have been getting. Downside: I think the ligaments in my knee will never heel. It was so bad that I was literally standing on one foot the whole night during work. Then Fish started feeling an ache in her shoulder which got worse and worse until she had to see a physio.'



'Me and Fish have a weird fascination with work. She loves weddings. I heard she had a swell one the other night. I heart glitzy balls. You never know what happens next. To date, we've shared numerous charity galas, 4 weddings, lots of dances and balls, some corporate breakfasts , the whole footy season, one nerve-wrecking judging dinner and a really sweet table of guests who asked for my picture.'



'WHAT A FACIAL COSTS: specialist from Dermalogica, flown in all the way from Miri'



'For a limited time only: Buffet at Burswood for 10.95 per person. We are cheap like that.'



'Thanks Shu Duan for the てるてる坊主! And loved the way Fish's pic turned out: CLICK!'



'Cindy just left me a message: GO DOWN TO BOOST TODAY. ITS UR NAME DAY. Turns out Boost is having a sweet marketing promo. If your name is chosen for the day, you get a free Boost Juice of your choice. Damn uni classes for being 4 hours long'



'From Cindy too: CONFIRMED FRIDAY. SEE YOU.' We are selling Daffodils for Cancer Council on behalf of Daffodil Day. Care to buy a bunch?'



'Note to self: Must bring Shirlene clubbing. To ask WC & Cindy about timing'



'Shoutout to all my friends across the globe: Qing misses you and you and you! Take care!'



'Jason Ling, there is nothing wrong with my hair.'



'Just received recipe from Jen for his 'yellow' cake. Will try it out this Sunday! along with ShuDuan's wish of making Otak Otak.'



'Shu Duan: I had a craving for scones just now, but was pressed for time. So I tapau-ed and spooned butter into my mouth before biting a piece of the scone as I walked to the bus station... ... ... what some people do for food'.



'Getting Hayao Miyazaki's films on Sunday. We Flat 6 doing a Miyazaki film marathon.'



'Esther wants me to say this: Everyone looking for FooChow fishballs in Perth, head down to Emma's Seafood. NOW THANK ME AND SAY THAT I AM AWESOME. Hahahha, apparently, Foo Chow fishballs are special, its seasoned pork wrapped in fish paste. Very yummy indeed, yes, Esther YOU ARE AWESOME!'



'Friday: 6 p.m. HOT YOGA with the gals. Erm, actually, its just called hot yoga because its conducted in a warm room. Supposed to sweat tons. Will report back on its effectiveness'



'To collect: pictures from city. Shu Duan lent me her fish eye cam to take pics during free week. I am praying the pics turn out all right!!!'



'Olympus Pen please drop in price and please come to meeeeeeeee...'




Ahhh, the summarization of one month of my life. This is so much more effective than hiring a film crew to follow me around ala The Hills. Actually, I hate The Hills. They are never contented with what they have and LC is whiny. Anyhoooo...since I'm in summary mode: up and coming on my calender: Perth Fashion Week, hunting for Free Boost again (hmph) and the Perth Royal Show!!!



Now, I did mention that people doodle on their post its right? Well, since I'm lazy, I'll show you a doodle of ShuDuan's...which brightens up my day every morning!







Heheheh, doesn't it make you smile too?

Credit:
Firework Picture from Max Wanger


Hoping:
that this month will be freer
to catch up with friends
to finally pin down my 'choice'


Listening:
everything Raymond Lam


Wanting:
the new sportsgirl COCO denim bag
to see Coco Avant Chanel

Come What May

Sleep-Eat-Work-Work-Work-Eat-Sleep

I miss those little Qoukkas.

Of Happy Endings...

I remember my first Yasmin Ahmad advertisement. It was an iklan (advertisement in Malay) Petronas during Hari Raya. The whole family took notice straightaway of the beautifully crafted and artfully weaved tale. It became more than a mere iklan...it became a story to remember.



You might be wondering, now what's all this fuss about a mere iklan. I can assure you, while true, there might have been more popular advertisements floating around, none came bringing a message from the heart that captures the simple, everyday values of humanity so well. I especially love Percintaan Tan Hong Ming because of its heartbreaking simplicity and innocence...














Since then, we've come to notice that Yasmin Ahmad feel every time a new iklan crops up with a voice of its own. Not only does it do justice to the theme of the occasion, it brings about a certain poignant remembrance of life...of the way we are living and the ideals that we hold dear. If there was one person I could say who viewed themselves as a Malaysian first and foremost before their race, that person would be Yasmin Ahmad.



I think it would be safe to say that after that first iklan, I became a fan of her work. I also grew up through my formative teen years with Yasmin's iklans. They became a fixture that my whole family looked forward to during festivities. We all watched, my parents, my brothers, my uncle, my grandparents and my granduncle... her first feature film Sepet when it was released; together, and everyone enjoyed it because it there were instances in the film that every generation could relate to. Later on, there was Gubra, Mukhsin and Muallaf. Each one a gem in their own right.



While I have not had the opportunity to meet her and sadly, I will never have this opportunity; I am glad that she had the chance to share her wonderful way of storytelling with all of the world. Because, at the end of the day, that was what she liked to call herself- Yasmin the Storyteller. Thank you, sincerely, for all the wonderful and heartfelt memories that you have given to me, my family, and many many others.

'In the end, its these small things that you remember,
the little imperfections that make them perfect for you.'

-Yasmin Ahmad on Love
excerpt from her iklan 'Funeral'

Al fatihah.

So here we go again...

Actually, I have no idea where to begin.



So let's start at the end, then we'll move back to the middle and maybe, maybe we'll get to the beginning...



So yes, the hols have finally ended but I'm looking forward to this new semester with relief since I actually have breathing space. Due to the smart move called summer school, I have a unit less to take = less study days! Hooray! However, with the last semester underway, looms the big question of 'what's next?' During an outing with Fi last week, we both realized that we're equally stumped by the next big decision of our lives.



Sounds so kua zhang (over the top) rite? One can even sense the capital letters in that phrase. In all truth, I really want to keep on believing in 'taking things one step at a time'...or 'living each day as it comes'. Everyone else says...planning is important. Now, why does that sound so deary to my ears? I know that certain coursemates of mine are rejoicing that this is their last sem in uni; with plans and career aspirations or even a travel itinerary in the works...Its not that planning ain't my thing, in fact, I'm sometimes so planner-ish that I have to remind myself to rewind and relax. Its just that this time...I'm at a crossroad with no streetlights on either path.



Eh, come lets go back to aspiration No.1 which all the Kdramas, TV soap operas and basically every drama series from every culture advocates- MARRY A RICH MAN and you will live happily ever after. -_-



See? I don't even make sense to myself? How in the world am I suppose to find out what I want to do after November??? Fi, maybe its time to ask guidance from a higher source, we go 'kao chim' aka chinese fortune sticks that supposedly sheds light on the un-answerable inner dilemmas that no one but you know you're facing...



Anyhow, it still comes down to living in the present. Similar to the argument of whether the chicken comes first or the egg...at the end of the day, you have to start from somewhere to get to someplace, and I think that I'll try to start...from somewhere...before I can actually find someplace to go.



Now, recollections from the end- how life stays interesting because of little occurences that put a a little quirk on your face that slowly turns into a smile.





Met this handsome young gentleman, well, not really a gentleman- more likely a young heartbreaker in the making; at the bus stop out one day in the city. He and his mom were heading to the same place as we were. Handsome Young One kept running around and reading out loud each number for each bus stop. Then we became freinds since the bus took so long to arrive. I led him up the bus and down again and across the road to the shopping center. Fish and I fell in love with his cute green hoodie...and the Handsome Young One and I kept running into each other in the shopping center, and even at the bus stop on the way home!


After four calls of "姐姐!" Cindy joked that I'd better bring him home! I wish I could too! Methinks Alan (that's the Handsome Young One's name btw) bears a striking resemblance to Jimmy Lin, one of my all time favourite Taiwanese actors. Hmm, actually, make that my only favourite Taiwanese actor!







So while I go off contemplating my blank fuzzy picture of a future, I just want to share one of my favourite artworks by Miranda July. Its actually a passage that takes you through a certain journey of self-reflection. Its healthy to press pause once in a while and think for a moment, where you are, what you are doing and where you're heading.



Have a great week! I hope I do too!

Credits:

Paparazzi shot of Alan: Fish
Miranda July: Frankie.com.au